Millinery: Avocado Inspirations

Hat making time!

(Or should I say "I needed a creative energy outlet, the heck with moving time!" ?)

You should know the drill by now. Take one straw hood (aka "cone")

Dunk or spray hood with water that has unflavored gelatin added to provide sizing.

And in this case, since the hood was an antique gold color, I'm added some tropical blue dye as well.

I'm aiming for an avocado hue.

(Bernie on the other hand is going for the blanched white in horror hue when he realizes that I have a pot of dye on our stove top...this after being scrupulously careful to not get anything in the kitchen stained or dirty. It was fine, I knew what I was doing. Sorta. Anyway, no dye impacted the pristine counter top. Whew.)

I like it! Not too dark, not too light.

Next step: Start putting semi random tucks into the hood, holding them in place with clip style clothes pins until the straw dries.

The more pinches and folds the merrier!

After the straw has dried, I removed the clothes pins, and gently tugged the hat over a rather basic hat block, just enough to make a head space. I used tacks to hold the hat in place, spraying it with a gentle water mist, and then letting it dry again.

Try on the hat.

Hmmm...it isn't quite there yet.

I put the hat on Jane, (who has taken up pouting because I have used her so little of late...)

I think the creases need to be softened, and the crown deepened.

Better. Front view...

Side one

Side two.

I'm not completely convinced this is the right front and back. I keep trying different spins and tilts.



The back is great though.
I like how the top of the crown (the tip) looks from the back.



The more tilt, the more attitude.
Funny how even the inanimate model seems to change expressions with the each change of the hat tilt.

The brim is taking on personality and doing what I call a "potato chip"; it will never lay totally flat unless it is cut into an oval shape instead of a circle. The wearer will choose where to have the dip and where to have the lift.

I sew in a small bead as a marker from which one can remember how the hat was put on the head. Right now I'm calling the bead "the back". But the next time it is worn, the bead may be at the side, or even in front!

It is tempting to tug it further down on my head.

But since this hat has not been made for me to wear, I will let it's owner decide what is the right amount of tug needed, and will put her own shapings to make the hat look uniquely right on her.

Can you guess who that will be?

Hint #1: Tiggie and her kitty correspond regularly.
Hint #2: She has a tree in her back yard that grows the most delicious avocados.
Hint #3: She and Bernie went to college together.
Hint #4: She is creating a custom hat pin for the hat from her own bead collection.

Give up?

Go to this link to see who is Birthmonth rocking in the hat!

A Cajun Dinner

Knowing my fellow librarian Hope B. is a delight. A Louisiana Cajun, she brings the fun loving enthusiasm and spirit of adventure to all that she does.

One of her most interesting adventures was meeting and marrying an Irish guy.
As in Northern Ireland.
Don't ask...it's complicated.
Some day I'm going to write a novel based on the romantic events that lead to their marriage.

I've even come up with a raft of possible titles for this story.

(A Clauddagh for Mardi Gras or A Cajun in Clover are two of my favorite titles right now...)

Anyway, Hope's husband Dominic is quite a guy. That's Dominic as in Doctor Dominic.
He has a Phd in Political Science and in addition to being a college prof, he also seems to manage to be invited on road trips around the globe where he is asked to contribute his brain power to studying some of the world's more ticklish peace problem.

His last trip was to the Middle East. Yeah, they have a bit of a political issue or two going on over in that neck of the woods from what I hear.

Hope and Dominic invited us over a farewell meal last Saturday. She told me that they agonized over the menu for days before realizing that what we would really enjoy most would be what we would no longer be able to get once we left Houston:

Authentic Cajun Cuisine.

Oh yeah baby! Let the good times roll!

Dominic greeted us with flutes of champagne spiked with a kiss of Grand Marnier. Just perfect to sip while Hope gave me a tour of her newly framed art collection. She and Dom travel extensively, and purchase original art or prints during each of their trips.

I loved her taste in art, especially her sentimental collection of Irish art work, and thought that Dom's taste in Egyptian art was fabulous. They also enjoy wine tasting, and have recently framed prints of a California's winery's labels that they got on their last trip to the California wine country.

The bold modern colors of the labels felt like jazz for the eyes, and were in perfect auditory harmony with the soft jazz/blues that Hope had playing in the background.

While Hope and I chatted about the art, Dominic plated our first course: Shrimp Etouffee.
Good heavens.
Why have I never had this classic recipe served on puff pastry before?
It is a fabulous appetizer concept: Skip the bed of rice and use puff pastry instead.

If all political issues are ever resolved and peace breaks out everywhere, I am comforted to know that with this single dish, Dominic could easily start a new career as a chef.

You know what they say: You should always have something to fall back on...

The meal actually had several courses that I missed photographing: Gumbo, Corn bread stuffed chicken, another shrimp dish, the salad above. I should have had either Hope or Dominic write down everything they served. I was so busy enjoying every bite and sipping my favorite wine and listening to the conversation that I forgot to do that.

It is an important detail: When they come visit us some day I will want them to create the meal again and teach me all their culinary secrets.

Salt Lake City needs this.
I need this.
How ever am I going to survive in Utah without Cajun food????

Everyone please bow their head right now!!! and pray with me:

Dear God;

Please let all political matters be permanently resolved and all world conflict end so Dominic can quit being a Phd of Political Science and become an Irish Cajun chef in Salt Lake City Utah instead.

Amen.

Did you notice the way cool square dishes that Dom served his entries on?

And that he gave me the one with Art Library written in French on it?

Seriously...is this guy a catch or what?

No Cajun/Creole meal should ever end without the flaming dessert known as Bananas Foster being served over vanilla ice cream.

Dom is a pro with a kitchen torch. While Hope had a fit because the recipe called for brown sugar and at the last moment it was discovered that the pantry was bereft of that ingredient, Dom just stirred up a new version of the classic treat.

Tasted good to me...heck, EVERYTHING that was served tasted good to me.

Great food, great wines, and great conversation followed the meal.

I never did hear the end of Dominic's story of how an Irish lad came to be married to a Louisiana girl, but I do mean find out one day.

Hope plans to celebrate her 40th birthday in Ireland in two years.

I plan to be there.

If only to hear the rest of the story.

Thanks for the wonderful evening you two!

(And don't forget you promised to take the rest of our opened and therefore unshippable liquor bottles. We'll call and bring them over just before we leave. I know you'll be glad to help us out. After all, what else are friends for, right?)

Final Day at Work

I have worked at North Harris College as an adjunct Reference Librarian for the past three years. Usually I was at work less than ten hours a week, with an occasional 19 hour week as needed.

Mostly I worked evenings.
Often it hardly seemed like work at all.

That's the way it is when you love your job and have great co-workers to work with.

I almost didn't take the job when I realized the college was a 45 minute drive from my house. But I decided that doing the drive only twice or three times a week wouldn't be too bad.
I can now say I'm glad I did decide to take it despite the drive.
It turned out that the scenery on the way was often quite interesting.

Each time I commuted to work, it took me almost 15 minutes to get out of Kingwood, then about ten minutes more on the 59 freeway to 1960, past the mall and then into rural areas that flanked the Houston airport.
On this last drive to work I was amused to see three turkey buzzards perched on fence posts. Off in the distance you can see the airport control tower.

A turn off from 1960 led to a bumpy road with nothing but prairie on either side. The clouds often are beautiful in the distance and I enjoyed seeing the seasons change in the meadow. Right now small sunflower are brightening up the roadside...merrily disguising the purpose of the land: It is designated for emergency crash landings.

Thankfully it has never has served it purpose, and I hope it never will.

Once I got to work, I was surprised to see Virginia at reference desk wearing the hat I had made for her. She has come through her cancer treatments and is now in remission! Hurrah!
She never actually needed the hat for anything other than a fashion accessory. No hair loss on her head, and she looks just great.
Don't you just love a happy ending to a cancer treatment?

Once I headed into the back I saw Norma our technical librarian also behatted. She looks adorable in a hat...I think she too should add additional initials to her titles: MLS, HFP.

(HFP: Hat Friendly Profile.)

Karen, our collections development librarian was even wearing a hat! She has firmly resisted all my attempts to convert her to the hat wearing, but wore a hat in my honor on my last day.

Hope, the Super Librarian, needs little convincing to wear a hat. She was always eager to give my newest millinery creations a try, and would LOVE to own more hats herself. Despite being quite brainy, she wears a smaller hat size, which is hard to come by.

Olia was under the weather but nevertheless made the effort to show up for the "going away" party. She and my boss Predeep went together to get me a book of poetry written by our next national poet laureate, in honor of my campus Poet Laureat program that I created for the school.

Have I mentioned how really thoughtful this group of ladies are?
They think of everything!

A group portrait.

Yes, librarians have fun AND look good wearing hats!

So it was my farewell appearance at ref desk. The students at the computers by the window didn't bat an eye to the fact that I was wearing an enormous hat.

My last look at the pine trees surrounding the school. It is a beautiful campus in a beautiful location.
The first campus poet laureate David Bell won his title based on this three line haiku on the theme "Achievement":

Achievement

North Harris College,
pine-nestled symposia
Aspirations Soar!

The refence desk is on the third floor; usually I took the elevator to get there, but the stairway gave a great view of outside.

The reference collection, only a small part of the two story library.

The library's circulation staff were greatly appreciated by me. If a book is in the correct place on a shelf, and the library user's records are in order, you have a circulation staff member to thank.
Plus they usually had better goodies to eat than we librarians did upstairs...and Terry was always good for a smile and a cheery greeting as she mange the second floor crew.

I usually made one trip downstairs each shift just to check out our display of our newest books. It was tempting to kick back in the reading area, plus... just beyond that...there were periodicals, which included Vogue and other fashion magazines.

Always good for flipping through during a slow night at desk, and of course for finding new fragances samples to rub on. That was fun too.

Libraries should be fun in my opinion.

The second floor also had an interesting collection of framed photographs of people from other cultures. I thought this girl looked so happy and relaxed that I would find myself smiling just by seeing her.

On the other hand, this little Mennonite lass always made me wonder.

She looks so very unhappy; maybe scared, maybe defiant. What was going through her young mind as the photographer focused upon her and took her picture, forever capturing the complex expression under the great big hat.

I wonder how old she must be now, and what she would think of seeing her photograph presiding over student engaged in learning at a library so far away.



I so enjoyed working with all the staff over the years at the NHC library. Each of them had distinctive personalities and interests, and I think all of them were interesting people to get to know.

In my next job I will be a solo librarian for a fourteen college campus system, with schools in eight different states. I will manage the libraries remotely, ordering books and collecting materials to support the curriculum needs and the student's success.

I know I will miss swinging into work and chatting with other librarians about ideas and activities as I did at North Harris. By the time I start at my new job on September 1st, my old library pals will be doing without both me and Hope, as she has accepted a position at another Lone Star College district campus. Things will have changed there too...it is true, nothing really ever stays the same...

Thankfully we will be able to stay in touch through email, blogs and maybe even professional conferences or two along the way.

And if all else fails, maybe they can make a trip to SLC, see the mountains, and me, and get an massage as well.

(More about that option later!)

Thanks everyone!
Best of luck in the new school year!

Looking about, storing images

Saturday August 2 2008
A walk in the woods with Hope B.
Funny how there are new things to see there a mere 24 hours later.
(See yesterday's post for details of that walk and our all day date.)

Wood lice! The tree is NOT being attacked by spiders, it is being cleaned by wood lice, who are the size of a speck of flour, and are scurrying beneath the web like membrane they have created on the tree. In a few days they will move on as a colony to clean another tree, leaving this tree healthier than when they arrived.

Yesterday's white mushroom has now turned golden, as if the heat of the day had served to bake it like a cookie in an oven.

The second tiny mushroom that I saw yesterday is now fuller, and has a blue damsel fly visitor. If only I had raised my camera back a fraction of an inch...but as it was, the fly was gone before my finger tip was released from the shutter release on my camera.
Pretty good shot anyway I'd say.

The poke berry clusters are still mostly green.

I love that the green berries and the riper blue black berries are supported on PINK stems.

PINK!

How fun!

A large wounded toad hopped wobbly across our path. Had it been bitten or stung, or was his pierced skin from a misadventure in a bramble patch?
It made me sad to see him thus, but I am powerless to change his destiny.

Ski boats disturbed the calm water, forming wakes that turned into a brief episode of crashing surf.

It was hot, and by the time Hope and I finished walking and talking it was almost eleven in the morning. A three mile walk is a great way to start the day, even if it means being drenched with sweat.

Later in the day B. and I ran an errand while our house was being shown. We returned home via a back way and I saw these heart shaped leaves vining up a pine tree. I don't know what the vine is called or if it flowers, but if I was staying I would definitely want some of this in my yard. Much nicer than bare tree trunk, and the heart shape is just so cool.

The gardenia is surprisingly blooming again.

I find myself stepping outside to inhale the fragrance, knowing I will likely never have such gardenia abundance again.

Our "wish bone" flowers are blooming nicely in the patio pots. Can you see the tiny white upside down wish bone on the roof of the flower's mouth?

I enjoy all the colors that wish bone flowers (aka: torenia or monkey flower) come in.

The flower is an annual and self seeds abundantly.
I wonder if it can be grown in Utah?

My Louisiana Walking Lily is also blooming out of season. Are my flowers just coming out to say good bye?
I have read that this lily can be grown as a house plant. Something to think about....

Sometimes the flower's shadow is almost as lovely as the flower itself.

Our "Cowardly Lion" begonia leaves are looking great. I doubt that we will be able to take this hanging plant with us though, and I don't know if it will grow from a cutting.
Dang.
I loved having a plant named "Cowardly Lion". That name makes me smile.

The blue jays have left a feather behind, and I tucked it into amongst the blue berries I was snacking on just to keep track of it. Hmmm..maybe there will be another color theme photo contest sometime.

I wanted to try to photograph the feather, and discovered it was more difficult than I would of thought. The flumes create an optical effect that is different when photographed than what is seen with the human eye. Sort of like what happens when a computer screen or television screen is photographed.

We're getting close to moving now. We have our tickets, and a date to leave. The moving company will be packing everything; whatever I pack will not be insured.

Obviously I am not packing another thing!

Lately I am very much reminded of the final weeks of pregnancy, specifically a second pregnancy. I remember knowing that while it was tiresome being so large and heavy, I also knew that a baby inside is far less work than a baby born. I knew the demands would come, and unstoppable they would be, and that the baby would actually be someone I didn't know at all...perhaps a happy mellow soul or an angry irritable dab of humanity. The changes would take some getting used to!

I remember having everything ready for the baby, and the house cleaned and the suitcase packed. And then waiting....just waiting.

We plan to spend this week taking care of a few minor details, perhaps going on a short trip, perhaps just relaxing with some good books. Lots of conversations. We know we will never have this kind of time to waste again...there will always be vacation or travel or home repairs to address in the future.

I'm still a week behind on my posts...but by the time we leave, I should be caught up. Lots of wonderful things have been happening...things and events that I want to share.

Maybe that is an element of blogging that I had overlooked before: The opportunity to revisit good things as though they were happening right now.

What a blessing to have so many good things happening in my life that I actually got behind on blogging them!